Boden Ashley T-Bar Heels

One of the few bright spots in the long, dark month that is January is the arrival of Boden’s spring/summer collection on the website: an event I’ve been looking forward to ever since the sale started. That happy event has now arrived, and I’m glad to report that it was worth the wait: there are lots of items to covet in the clothes section, but it’s shoes I’m here to talk about today, and I think the stand-out number from the selection currently available is the ‘Ashley’ heel, shown above.

In addition to the stripe upper I’ve featured here, these also come in rather more neutral black and tan versions. There’s a lot going on with the colourway above: in addition to those black and white stripes, there’s also the multicoloured beads around the foot and on the straps, and the overall effect may be slightly too chaotic for some tastes. The shape, meanwhile, owes a lot to Valentino’s famous Rockstud pumps, with that distinctive t-bar strap.

I’d like these better with a higher heel, but then again, I’d like almost any shoe better with a higher heel, so that goes without saying. Super-high stilettos aren’t really Boden’s style, though, and I’m sure these will find plenty of fans. If you like black and white stripes, meanwhile, you’re probably going to want to check out the rest of the Boden spring/summer collection, because there’s a whole lot of them: in fact, I think I might have to freeze my credit card inside a block of ice, Shopaholic style, in order to resist the many temptations. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…